We All Have A Voice, How We Use It Is Our Choice.

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How do Americans view the recent actions of former NFL player Colin Kaepernick? Some see a strong independent American citizen who sacrificed his career by taking a knee during the national anthem. Others may just see a needless and pointless debate that should not be played out in the media spotlight of professional sports. I stand with those who view this man as someone courageous, someone that sacrificed all he had for a belief that our country must work hard to form a perfect union due to the ongoing injustices against blacks and people of color.

Kaepernick has been very vocal about his viewpoint on society. White privilege still exists and white supremacists have found a new platform under our current President. About 21 months ago, Kaepernick decided to sit on a bench instead of standing for the anthem. Later, it transitioned into taking a knee. While many Americans took it as him being disrespectful to those who fought for our country, many others viewed it as a statement that he willing to sacrifice his own reputation to fight ongoing injustice. He is a modern fighter for the cause of American “liberty and justice”.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color”.

“To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Police brutality has been a huge focus in the country as the number of fatalities has continued to increase within the past three years. While this has been an ongoing problem in American society, with a President encouraging further division in the face of these horrible actions, it is more difficult to take that leap of faith required to fight for justice. It takes so much courage to stand alone, no one by your side, your apparent teammates… brothers? No one.

Initially, Kaepernick was taking a leap in the dark, not knowing if the people would understand his reasoning behind it all. I applaud Colin Kaepernick for his bravery. It’s 2018 but racism is sadly still something we struggle with countrywide. It’s heartbreaking. Seeing innocent lives get taken away and absolutely nothing being done is sickening. We all have a voice, how we use it is our choice.